Edward
January 28th, 2002, 02:46 PM
K-Town Comes of Age
The flavor and energy of Korea thrive in a midtown enclave
By LAN N. NGUYEN (DAILY NEWS)
When Sarah Moon was growing up in the Bronx, her family went to midtown Manhattan whenever they wanted good, authentic Korean food. Her father would make the half-hour drive to Herald Square and park along 32nd St., where the neighborhood would undergo a startling transformation. "Walk down the street and you'd see Korean signs and people," says Moon, 24, a human-resources recruiting coordinator. "It's a dramatic change from the rest of the city. A lot of times, people don't recognize it as K-town."
K-town, as Koreatown is affectionately called by people who work in and visit this largely commercial neighborhood, remains something of a hidden treasure, despite its prime location. For starters, it is such a tiny sliver of real estate bordered by 31st and 36th Sts. and Fifth and Sixth Aves. that it is easily overshadowed by nearby destinations like the Empire State Building and Macy's. And as in Chinatown, language can present a barrier. Stroll down 32nd St., the heart of the neighborhood, and if you don't read Korean, you'll miss a lot.
But with a little patience and our handy guide you can unearth K-town's many charms. Moon still makes the trip from the Bronx to 32nd St. not only to eat, but to shop and hang out with friends. "It's changed a lot over the years," she says. "Stores are definitely catering to a younger crowd."
Cecilia Lau, who has lived in the area since 1988, agrees. "Back in the 1980s, it was limited to a few shops, mostly restaurants," she says. "Then they started to expand and add stores that were not food-related. I don't know why, but Asians love karaoke, so you saw the emergence of karaoke places. They also love to drink, so on the second or third floors, people get together and drink. Now, it's a potpourri of things."
K-town is at a crossroads. Once focused on fulfilling the needs of New York's burgeoning Korean-American community (according to the U.S. Census, the city's Korean-American population has grown from 69,718 in 1990 to 86,473 in 2000), it has seen an increase in non-Korean traffic in the last few years. Sang Man Lee, manager of the popular Kam Gung San restaurant, says most of today's diners are not Korean. Kwan Hanson, manager of Yi Pak Spa, says 85% of her clientele are Westerners, while 15% are Asian.
With more and more Westerners discovering K-town, the neighborhood is grappling with issues of growth and identity. "Its primary focus is to cater to the Korean community, but there is also a desire to expand beyond that," says City Council member Christine Quinn. "Something that impacts Little Korea's ability to expand is who they want to attract and how they should diversify. First is coming up with a community consensus. Once that is decided, assistance will be easier to define."
There was never a formal plan or agreement to create a Korean commercial district in Manhattan, since most Koreans settled in Queens. In fact, says Koryo Books owner Eung Pyo Choi, the concept of K-town didn't even exist. But rents were low and the foot traffic high because of the surrounding office buildings and the proximity to the Garment, Gift Shop and Flower Districts.
Choi recalls when he settled on 32nd St. and opened the city's first Korean bookstore, 22 years ago. "There was maybe one Korean restaurant and some Korean wholesalers on Broadway," he says. He wasn't sure his store would even work, since shoppers who wandered in would confuse the Korean language with Japanese or Chinese. "When I first opened my store, I would sell $30 a day," he says. "My goal in the beginning was to sell $100 a day. It took me two years before I could do that."
Another 32nd St. pioneer, Yu Kim, moved his shop, New York Kom Tang Soot Bal Kal Bi, six blocks uptown from 27th St. in 1982 to be closer to the subway and commuter trains. "Before I started here, I always watched this area," he says. "There were a lot of gift shops and custom tailors, and only two or three businesses that were Korean. But good location a lot of transportation. So Broadway was a good place to go."
Kim, who started as a dishwasher when he came to the U.S. in 1976, believes his was the second Korean restaurant to open on 32nd St.
So from a bookstore and a handful of restaurants, K-town sprang into being. And with their success, more and more Korean businesses settled in the neighborhood as immigration from Korea grew. By the mid-1980s, the area started to resemble a street in Seoul.
Today, shoppers can buy mangoes, udon noodles and kimchi (cabbage pickled in red chili) at Han Ah Reum supermarket. Need Korean long johns or cosmetic brands like Iope or Laneigh? Sun Plaza is the place to go. For hair accessories of every color and style, stop at Ping Kiy.
But what draws people like 25-year-old Ryu Ishimoto, a programmer, to K-town are the food and the hopping nightlife. Many restaurants are open very late some 24 hours a day and there are plenty of bars, karaoke lounges and cafes to choose from. Ishimoto says he comes once a week to eat and twice a week for the entertainment.
The Price of Progress
The proliferation of night spots and the late hours means high-school and college students are crowding the neighborhood. Even 25-year-old Greg Chin of Bayside, Queens, says he feels out of place when he returns to K-town. "Kids are still the same age and I am getting older," says the financial sales associate. "Now, my main exposure is eating. I am Chinese, but I don't feel like a traitor when I say K-town coffee shops are nicer."
Another concern among old-timers is the increased competition. Where there used to be one restaurant, says Choi, there are now some 15 restaurants on 32nd St. alone. And not too long ago, Choi's bookstore competed against two other Korean-language bookstores, which have since closed.
But one thing that doesn't change, says Chin, is that K-town hospitality. "Whether you go to a CD store or a lounge or cafe, I find the service is remarkable. It's just the way the Korean people are."
Restaurants
With menus often several pages long, take your time to peruse. And for those seeking the authentic experience, dishes with ingredients like intestine and oxtail will more than satisfy.
Blue: Crowds flock here for the good, affordable food downstairs and the swinging bar upstairs. 9 W. 32nd St.; (212) 947-3028.
Cho Dong Go: Tofu and rustic Korean cooking are the focus of this establishment. 55 W. 35th St.; (212) 695-8222.
Gam Mee Ok: After a night out, many drop by this pretty space for its kimchi and tasty ox-bone soup, believed to be a great hangover remedy. 43 W. 32nd St.; (212) 695-4113.
Hangawi: In this serene temple to vegetarianism, the food is so delicious that you forget that what you're eating is supremely healthy. 12 E. 32nd St.; (212) 213-0077.
Kum Gang San: The popular Flushing, Queens, restaurant opened its Manhattan outpost in 1988 after the landlord made them an offer they couldn't refuse. With a bar and additions like appetizers and dessert to its menu, this establishment takes pains to be Western-friendly. 49 W. 32nd St.; (212) 967-0909.
Mandoo Bar: Craving fresh dumplings? Stop at Mandoo Bar, and watch the women in the window craft the yummy bite-size treats. 2 W. 32nd St.; (212) 279-3075.
New York Kom Tang Soot Bul Kal Bi: The oldest restaurant on 32nd St., this Korean and Japanese restaurant's can't-miss dishes include barbecue, bean-paste casserole, and sliced rice cake and beef dumpling soup. 32 W. 32nd St.; (212) 947-8482.
Shops
K-town has become more than a food destination. John Lee bought his cell phone at one of the neighborhood shops; Cecilia Lau picked up her sunglasses here. Here is a sampling of stores:
Galleria: Gaining the store after his friend defaulted on a $400,000 loan, Eung Koo Lee spent the next four years turning this tourist stop into a classy department store that carries designer labels like Gucci, Fendi and Prada. Lee chooses styles that flatter the Asian coloring and just recently added men's clothes and accessories. 315 Fifth Ave., 2nd floor; (212) 684-3927 or (212) 684-3976.
Koryo Books: Korean books of all genres, as well as pottery and tchotchkes, fill this 4,500-square-foot store. Shoppers can refresh themselves in the well-appointed tearoom upstairs. 35 W. 32nd St.; (212) 564-1844 or (212) 564-9765.
Opane: Fans of Hello Kitty and other cute characters will love this shop, with its huge array of pens, stationery, bags and stuffed animals. Clothes, accessories and a photo studio are downstairs. 6 W. 32nd St.; (212) 643-9077 or (212) 358-5539.
Sun Plaza: This store has everything from cosmetics to rice cookers at affordable (though higher-than-Chinatown) prices. 22 W. 32nd St.; (212) 564-3397.
Han Ah Reum: A supermarket that carries Korean and Japanese delicacies, along with seafood and produce at low prices. Handy if you can't make it to Chinatown. 25 W. 32nd St.; (212) 695-3283.
Yi Pak Spa: For $100, you can choose either an hour-long acupressure massage or an hour-and-a-half session that includes a body scrub, cucumber facial and milk rub. 10 W. 32nd St.; (212) 594-1025.
Hangouts
Like the bubble-tea cafes in Chinatown, K-town has places where the young can spend hours and hours eating and drinking as they catch up with friends. Two popular spots are:
Cafe Metro: Financial analyst Sofia Theophilus, 24, likes to meet friends here for tea or phat bing su (a drink made with shaved ice, red beans, fruit cocktail and whipped cream), available only during the summer. 2 W. 32nd St.; (212) 244-2217.
Pari Pari Ko: "You can find this kind of bakery in Korea," says Lau. Visitors sit and enjoy drinks from coffee to tea to tropical-snow ice, and snacks like red-bean ice cream and mocha roll. 43 W. 32nd St.; (212) 967-1929.
Original Publication Date: 1/27/02
The flavor and energy of Korea thrive in a midtown enclave
By LAN N. NGUYEN (DAILY NEWS)
When Sarah Moon was growing up in the Bronx, her family went to midtown Manhattan whenever they wanted good, authentic Korean food. Her father would make the half-hour drive to Herald Square and park along 32nd St., where the neighborhood would undergo a startling transformation. "Walk down the street and you'd see Korean signs and people," says Moon, 24, a human-resources recruiting coordinator. "It's a dramatic change from the rest of the city. A lot of times, people don't recognize it as K-town."
K-town, as Koreatown is affectionately called by people who work in and visit this largely commercial neighborhood, remains something of a hidden treasure, despite its prime location. For starters, it is such a tiny sliver of real estate bordered by 31st and 36th Sts. and Fifth and Sixth Aves. that it is easily overshadowed by nearby destinations like the Empire State Building and Macy's. And as in Chinatown, language can present a barrier. Stroll down 32nd St., the heart of the neighborhood, and if you don't read Korean, you'll miss a lot.
But with a little patience and our handy guide you can unearth K-town's many charms. Moon still makes the trip from the Bronx to 32nd St. not only to eat, but to shop and hang out with friends. "It's changed a lot over the years," she says. "Stores are definitely catering to a younger crowd."
Cecilia Lau, who has lived in the area since 1988, agrees. "Back in the 1980s, it was limited to a few shops, mostly restaurants," she says. "Then they started to expand and add stores that were not food-related. I don't know why, but Asians love karaoke, so you saw the emergence of karaoke places. They also love to drink, so on the second or third floors, people get together and drink. Now, it's a potpourri of things."
K-town is at a crossroads. Once focused on fulfilling the needs of New York's burgeoning Korean-American community (according to the U.S. Census, the city's Korean-American population has grown from 69,718 in 1990 to 86,473 in 2000), it has seen an increase in non-Korean traffic in the last few years. Sang Man Lee, manager of the popular Kam Gung San restaurant, says most of today's diners are not Korean. Kwan Hanson, manager of Yi Pak Spa, says 85% of her clientele are Westerners, while 15% are Asian.
With more and more Westerners discovering K-town, the neighborhood is grappling with issues of growth and identity. "Its primary focus is to cater to the Korean community, but there is also a desire to expand beyond that," says City Council member Christine Quinn. "Something that impacts Little Korea's ability to expand is who they want to attract and how they should diversify. First is coming up with a community consensus. Once that is decided, assistance will be easier to define."
There was never a formal plan or agreement to create a Korean commercial district in Manhattan, since most Koreans settled in Queens. In fact, says Koryo Books owner Eung Pyo Choi, the concept of K-town didn't even exist. But rents were low and the foot traffic high because of the surrounding office buildings and the proximity to the Garment, Gift Shop and Flower Districts.
Choi recalls when he settled on 32nd St. and opened the city's first Korean bookstore, 22 years ago. "There was maybe one Korean restaurant and some Korean wholesalers on Broadway," he says. He wasn't sure his store would even work, since shoppers who wandered in would confuse the Korean language with Japanese or Chinese. "When I first opened my store, I would sell $30 a day," he says. "My goal in the beginning was to sell $100 a day. It took me two years before I could do that."
Another 32nd St. pioneer, Yu Kim, moved his shop, New York Kom Tang Soot Bal Kal Bi, six blocks uptown from 27th St. in 1982 to be closer to the subway and commuter trains. "Before I started here, I always watched this area," he says. "There were a lot of gift shops and custom tailors, and only two or three businesses that were Korean. But good location a lot of transportation. So Broadway was a good place to go."
Kim, who started as a dishwasher when he came to the U.S. in 1976, believes his was the second Korean restaurant to open on 32nd St.
So from a bookstore and a handful of restaurants, K-town sprang into being. And with their success, more and more Korean businesses settled in the neighborhood as immigration from Korea grew. By the mid-1980s, the area started to resemble a street in Seoul.
Today, shoppers can buy mangoes, udon noodles and kimchi (cabbage pickled in red chili) at Han Ah Reum supermarket. Need Korean long johns or cosmetic brands like Iope or Laneigh? Sun Plaza is the place to go. For hair accessories of every color and style, stop at Ping Kiy.
But what draws people like 25-year-old Ryu Ishimoto, a programmer, to K-town are the food and the hopping nightlife. Many restaurants are open very late some 24 hours a day and there are plenty of bars, karaoke lounges and cafes to choose from. Ishimoto says he comes once a week to eat and twice a week for the entertainment.
The Price of Progress
The proliferation of night spots and the late hours means high-school and college students are crowding the neighborhood. Even 25-year-old Greg Chin of Bayside, Queens, says he feels out of place when he returns to K-town. "Kids are still the same age and I am getting older," says the financial sales associate. "Now, my main exposure is eating. I am Chinese, but I don't feel like a traitor when I say K-town coffee shops are nicer."
Another concern among old-timers is the increased competition. Where there used to be one restaurant, says Choi, there are now some 15 restaurants on 32nd St. alone. And not too long ago, Choi's bookstore competed against two other Korean-language bookstores, which have since closed.
But one thing that doesn't change, says Chin, is that K-town hospitality. "Whether you go to a CD store or a lounge or cafe, I find the service is remarkable. It's just the way the Korean people are."
Restaurants
With menus often several pages long, take your time to peruse. And for those seeking the authentic experience, dishes with ingredients like intestine and oxtail will more than satisfy.
Blue: Crowds flock here for the good, affordable food downstairs and the swinging bar upstairs. 9 W. 32nd St.; (212) 947-3028.
Cho Dong Go: Tofu and rustic Korean cooking are the focus of this establishment. 55 W. 35th St.; (212) 695-8222.
Gam Mee Ok: After a night out, many drop by this pretty space for its kimchi and tasty ox-bone soup, believed to be a great hangover remedy. 43 W. 32nd St.; (212) 695-4113.
Hangawi: In this serene temple to vegetarianism, the food is so delicious that you forget that what you're eating is supremely healthy. 12 E. 32nd St.; (212) 213-0077.
Kum Gang San: The popular Flushing, Queens, restaurant opened its Manhattan outpost in 1988 after the landlord made them an offer they couldn't refuse. With a bar and additions like appetizers and dessert to its menu, this establishment takes pains to be Western-friendly. 49 W. 32nd St.; (212) 967-0909.
Mandoo Bar: Craving fresh dumplings? Stop at Mandoo Bar, and watch the women in the window craft the yummy bite-size treats. 2 W. 32nd St.; (212) 279-3075.
New York Kom Tang Soot Bul Kal Bi: The oldest restaurant on 32nd St., this Korean and Japanese restaurant's can't-miss dishes include barbecue, bean-paste casserole, and sliced rice cake and beef dumpling soup. 32 W. 32nd St.; (212) 947-8482.
Shops
K-town has become more than a food destination. John Lee bought his cell phone at one of the neighborhood shops; Cecilia Lau picked up her sunglasses here. Here is a sampling of stores:
Galleria: Gaining the store after his friend defaulted on a $400,000 loan, Eung Koo Lee spent the next four years turning this tourist stop into a classy department store that carries designer labels like Gucci, Fendi and Prada. Lee chooses styles that flatter the Asian coloring and just recently added men's clothes and accessories. 315 Fifth Ave., 2nd floor; (212) 684-3927 or (212) 684-3976.
Koryo Books: Korean books of all genres, as well as pottery and tchotchkes, fill this 4,500-square-foot store. Shoppers can refresh themselves in the well-appointed tearoom upstairs. 35 W. 32nd St.; (212) 564-1844 or (212) 564-9765.
Opane: Fans of Hello Kitty and other cute characters will love this shop, with its huge array of pens, stationery, bags and stuffed animals. Clothes, accessories and a photo studio are downstairs. 6 W. 32nd St.; (212) 643-9077 or (212) 358-5539.
Sun Plaza: This store has everything from cosmetics to rice cookers at affordable (though higher-than-Chinatown) prices. 22 W. 32nd St.; (212) 564-3397.
Han Ah Reum: A supermarket that carries Korean and Japanese delicacies, along with seafood and produce at low prices. Handy if you can't make it to Chinatown. 25 W. 32nd St.; (212) 695-3283.
Yi Pak Spa: For $100, you can choose either an hour-long acupressure massage or an hour-and-a-half session that includes a body scrub, cucumber facial and milk rub. 10 W. 32nd St.; (212) 594-1025.
Hangouts
Like the bubble-tea cafes in Chinatown, K-town has places where the young can spend hours and hours eating and drinking as they catch up with friends. Two popular spots are:
Cafe Metro: Financial analyst Sofia Theophilus, 24, likes to meet friends here for tea or phat bing su (a drink made with shaved ice, red beans, fruit cocktail and whipped cream), available only during the summer. 2 W. 32nd St.; (212) 244-2217.
Pari Pari Ko: "You can find this kind of bakery in Korea," says Lau. Visitors sit and enjoy drinks from coffee to tea to tropical-snow ice, and snacks like red-bean ice cream and mocha roll. 43 W. 32nd St.; (212) 967-1929.
Original Publication Date: 1/27/02